Mobile Photography Interview – A Day in the Life of Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Welcome to our very exciting interview column on theappwhisperer.com. This section entitled “A Day in the Life of…” is where we take a look at some hugely influential, interesting and accomplished individuals in the mobile photography and art world… people that we think you will love to learn more about. This is our 122nd interview of the series. If you have missed our previous interviews, please go here.
Today we are featuring Maria Cecilia de São Thiago, an Internationally acclaimed Fine Art Mobile Photographer, based in Brazil known for both her Award winning iPhone Art Images and his Fine Art Portraiture.
We are sure you are going to enjoy this, if you would like to take part in our A Day in the Life interview series, please send an email to myself at Joanne@theappwhisperer.com and I will get back to you.
Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Let’s start at the beginning of the day, how does your day start?
As much as I like the tranquility of the night, I stay up late working on pictures, or working in the jewellery bench, I do not wake up very early.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Do you like to head out and take photographs early on?
Not that I do not like it, photographing is always a pleasure for me, but my favorite time is the end of the afternoon. It is the time I usually go for a walk in the gardens of the condominium where I live, to photograph something.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
How did the transition from traditional photographer to mobile photographer develop?
As the first iPhone came out and I started shooting with it, I saw a documentary on deutsche welle explaining what iPhoneography was, and about the IPA-iPhoneart.com community. I fell in love immediately with what I saw, registered myself there and started to understand how this new way of doing Photography happened.
As soon as the iPad came out I started using it to edit my photos. The ability to draw on the photos was something I always liked. Already in college I drew with ink and ecoline on the images. You may see this here www.klimtt.com/1977/
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Do you like to download new mobile photography and/or art apps regularly?
Oh yes … I’m completely obsessed with applications and technology in general. I usually download all new photo and video applications, even for testing purposes only. To get an idea, I have already downloaded more than 5,200 mobile apps and on my iPhone I have 720 Apps, and most of them are for photos and videos.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
What is your preferred platform, Apple iOS, Android, Windows?
I usually test all devices on all platforms, but my heart belongs to Apple alone !! I use in my day to day more than one iPhone, where each one has a specific function, geared for my work as photographer or jeweller designer.
I like to share tips and tricks on technology on my facebook technology page, and when friends have some doubt about cell phones, I usually answer or write about the question for them there, so I try to keep abreast of the news on various devices.
But for me, the store that offers the largest and best variety of applications for photos and images, is the Apple AppStore.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Would you consider changing platforms and why?
No !! Never… I have great affinity with IOS and his many applications developed for this platform. I never imagine that I would change. I have already tested the Google Play photography apps but they come not close to the diversity and quality offered by Apple.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
How often do you update your existing apps?
I usually update whenever a new update comes out, but I always read if there are any patches that will make it impossible for me to continue using the preferred applications. To not have problems with the updates the fact of using two iPads also helps a lot. And another thing I learned is to back up the images before doing the update.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
What are your favourite photography/videography apps and why, what features do you look for in a new app?
My preferred Apps are:
ArtStudio – Draw and Paint I can’t live without this App 😉 Everything I do starts here.
Snapseed – Where I adjust the image
Repix – For little adjustments and layers
iColorama – to create an entire project
Superimpose – My everyday App
Slow Shutter – For the effects
Distressed FX – For this great textures
Brushstroke – For little adjustments and layers
PicGrunger – For textures
Adobe Photoshop Express: Edit Photos, Make Collage – And All Adobe Apps
WeTransfer – For the best way to Backup
Google Photos – free photo and video storage – To cloud storage
Magisto Video Editor & Movie Maker
Funny Movie Maker – Replace Your Face
Video Merger Pro Combine Multiple Videos to Video
Magisto Video Editor & Movie Maker
and many many more…
If there is one important thing for me, to continue using an application, is the image resolution that it saves. One of the issues that to all of us iPhoneographers matters most, is the size of the impression that we will get with our photographs. Nowadays, I can deliver to my printer a file of compatible size with good cameras, having made prints on Hahnemuller Cotton papers up to 120 x 90 cm.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Where’s your favourite place in the world for a shoot and why?
In a sincere response, I can say that any place instigates me to photograph. For its beauty or precisely for its lack … But if I answer you with my heart, I must declare my love for Europe, more specifically the cities of Paris or London, where two of my three daughters live. I love to photograph the leafless trees that look more like Klimt, Schiele or Hunderwasser drawings, artists that inspire me a lot, or landscapes mainly in cold weather, when the air is drier and the depth of field is great. I am Brazilian, I live in Brazil and the difference of a photo made here in our humid and tropical climate to a photo made in the dry and cold climate of Europe is amazing.
But one thing I miss about the time I spent in Germany is to photograph the landscapes of the Munich region with its icy atmosphere.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Where do you like to upload your photographs to – Flickr, Instagram etc?
I usually post 1 to 3 photos daily in Instagram, shared directly to my Facebook Art Page, to Flickr, Tumbrl and Tweeter.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Do you use your mobile phone everyday to take images?
Yes every day !! If by chance I do not go out to photograph, I end up photographing some detail of my house, or my garden. 2017 I also started to use a new application “Project 365” where I should post a photo a day, and I do not want to stop publishing any day.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Do you like to use external hardware products with your mobile device for image and video capturing, such as lenses, tripods, external storage and battery packs?
Yes, I use everything that is within my reach …;)
I have the wide-angle, macro and fish eye of olloclip, and photojojo Iris Lens Series . I also use the wide-angle lens “MX-601”
But my favorite for now is the “DxO One Camera” I won it in the DepthEffects App competition by The App Whisperer.
For the Battery packs I use those of JLW where the phone is docked and that support up to 3 charges. But If I make a long trip, I use the “puku S8” and the “Just mobile – Gum Max Power Pack”
For External Storage I love the 64GB “i-FlashDrive” or the “i-FlashDrive HD” from RoHS.
Tripods I usually use those with grip for iPhone.
Sometimes I use the Remote Shutter with “Camera 360” for selfies and tripods
My next acquisition should be an IMAGE STABILIZER FOR SMARTPHONE or a Drone to make landscape pictures.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Do you edit images on your mobile devices or do you prefer to use a desktop or laptop computer?
I use mostly my iPad to edit images. I feel such affection for these products that even to create logos it serves me perfectly.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Where do you envisage your mobile photography passion will take you? Have you been involved with exhibitions etc.
The ability to show your images to the world on platforms such as Instagram has made mobile photography an incredibly vibrant genre.
Suddenly, thanks to the social platforms, photography has a purpose. People have started taking more aesthetic photos that connect with complete strangers across the globe. Thanks to all this I have already had photographs exhibited in Kiev, South Africa and in Honfleur, Normandy, North of France.
Here in Brazil I have participated in several competitions and my intention is to create an individual exhibition in the next months.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Where do you see the future of mobile photography?
The phone is your best camera, because it is always with us.
Currently on the market the smart phones have gained more sophistication in their photographic lenses, so they are being used to get jobs with advanced quality. Still do not replace DSLR cameras and Professional Camcorders, but can provide great photo and video results.
Now anyone can take quality photos and share them in seconds.
The videos in my opinion, will have great acceptance, not only in the Photojournalism Collaborative, but in the arts.
Drones are already trending and I may imagine what will be the next generation of bloggers making a visual journal popularised by Snapchat and InstagramStreet Style
The camera to the eye, the phone and audio to the ear, I imagine also some people will have them implanted.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
What do you think is the most popular area of mobile photography?
From what I can see from the large number of photographers I have known in recent years, I think Street photography is the most used form. I say this with a certain sadness, because as an artist I think it’s missing a less documentary and more pictorial look, for a lot of people here in Brazil.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Do you think it is country Specific, are some nations more clued up?
As I said before, because I lived in Germany for 6 years, and have two daughters living in Paris and London, I have many contacts in Europe, and I see a huge difference between Brazilians and Europeans, not only in the way of living, but also in the way Of shooting…
I think Brazil still has a lot to learn. Whenever I have the opportunity, I encourage people to take photograph. From the taxi driver to the nurse, or the construction worker, I explain that a photo posted on instagram now a days can have worldwide visibility, regardless of where it was taken.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
If you could select a specification for a smartphone, what features would you select, photographically speaking?
If I could build a phone with the specs that interest me most, I would choose: Wireless charger. Front and Back camera with 16mp.
A massive 6GB of RAM. Manual focus, Optical & Electronic image stabilisation, HDR, HQ mode and dynamic de-noise. And a greater Low light capability.
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?
Joanne Carter was a gift of the synchronicity of the stars in my life.
I am very grateful not only for what she has done for me, giving space and spreading my work, as for everything she does for artists around the world.
Your dedication deserves all my recognition, Joanne.
The App Whisperer is my favorite site for learning, sharing and interacting.
That’s where I look for answers when I have some doubts, that’s where I get informed about news and where I look for inspirations !!
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Contact Details – Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
E-Mail: klimtt@me.com
Skype: klimtt
Site: www.klimtt.com
Instagram: @klimtt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/klimtt
Tumblr: http://klimtt.tumblr.com
Pinterest: https://br.pinterest.com/klimtt/
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/klimtt/
LinkedIn: https://br.linkedin.com/in/klimtt
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/klimtt
Facebook Art Page: https://www.facebook.com/artbyklimtt/
Facebook Technologie Page: https://www.facebook.com/ihang10/
Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
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Image ©Maria Cecilia de São Thiago
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
